ARCHITECTS from India

Top 3

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the most legendary Indian Architects of all time. This list of famous Indian Architects is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity.

1. B. V. Doshi (1927 - 2023)

With an HPI of 51.69, B. V. Doshi is the most famous Indian Architect.  His biography has been translated into 30 different languages on wikipedia.

Balkrishna Vithaldas Doshi OAL (Gujarati: બાલકૃષ્ણ વિઠ્ઠલદાસ દોશી; 26 August 1927 – 24 January 2023) was an Indian architect. He is an important figure in Indian architecture and noted for his contributions to the evolution of architectural discourse in India. Having worked under Le Corbusier and Louis Kahn, he was a pioneer of modernist and brutalist architecture in India. His noteworthy designs include FLAME University, IIM Bangalore, IIM Udaipur, NIFT Delhi, Amdavad ni Gufa, CEPT University, and the Aranya Low Cost Housing development in Indore for which was awarded the Aga Khan Award for Architecture. In 2018, he became the first Indian architect to receive the Pritzker Architecture Prize. He was also awarded the Padma Shri, the Padma Bhushan, the Padma Vibhushan, and the Royal Institute of British Architects' Royal Gold Medal for 2022.

2. Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah (1565 - 1612)

With an HPI of 49.78, Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah is the 2nd most famous Indian Architect.  His biography has been translated into 18 different languages.

Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah (4 April 1565 – 11 January 1612) was the fifth sultan of the Sultanate of Golconda and founder of the city of Hyderabad. He built its architectural centerpiece, the Charminar. He was an able administrator and his reign is considered one of the high points of the Qutb Shahi dynasty. He ascended to the throne in 1580 at the age of 15 and ruled for 31 years.

3. Charles Correa (1930 - 2015)

With an HPI of 39.10, Charles Correa is the 3rd most famous Indian Architect.  His biography has been translated into 22 different languages.

Charles Mark Correa (1 September 1930 – 16 June 2015) was an Indian architect and urban planner. Credited with the creation of modern architecture in post-Independent India, he was celebrated for his sensitivity to the needs of the urban poor and for his use of traditional methods and materials.